70-year-old marathon competitor clocks up 200th marathon

Wellingtonian Chris Leahy is doing her 200th marathon in Tauranga today. Photo / File

Today Wellingtonian Chris Leahy will complete her 200th marathon in Tauranga.

The fit 70-year-old is looking forward to celebrating the milestone and says the sport keeps her young at heart.

It has also allowed her and hubby Mike the opportunity to travel around the world, meet new people and set a few records while they are at it.

Chris was the first New Zealand woman of her age to do the Australian Sweep which is a marathon in every state and territory in Australia and the ANZAC Sweep which included a South Island and North Island marathon.

Mike teamed up his wife and together for the 2016 event and they became the first couple to achieve that.

No strangers to the limelight the Leahy's first made history together when they were both admitted to the New Hundred Marathon Club in 2010 and 2011 consequently.

''We were the first couple in the Southern Hemisphere to do that,'' Chris says.

Nowadays she walks the marathons and calculates she stopped running after marathon 57 but is determined not to give yet.

''I certainly don't feel 70. I will just keep going to my body tells me to stop.''

Mike Leahy will be his wife's main supporter today in the 2019 Garmin Tauranga Marathon. Photo / Andrew Warner

Chris's efforts have been described as "astronomical" by Jason Herriman, who is part of the Running Events team organising the event.

"I always think about the energy and time I put into training for a race, that might be half a marathon distance or less - but to multiply that by 200 times is something I think us mere mortals will just never understand," he says.

Herriman says people like Chris were the reason event organisers get out of bed in the morning.

"I am truly in awe of people who sacrifice time to get out and train for any event. But for someone to get out and at it for 200 marathons that is a little something extra that deserves to be spread around for everyone to hear.''